Cobram is situated on the Murray River which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Cobram along with the nearby towns of Numurkah and Yarrawonga is part of Shire of Moira. Its twin town of Barooga is located on the north side of the Murray River. Surrounding Cobram are a number of orchards and wineries. At the 2006 census, Cobram had a population of 5,531. Barooga's population is currently 1,654.

History

First occupied by the Bangarang Aborigines who spoke Yorta Yorta or a variant prior to white settlement. Charles Sturt explored the Murray downstream of the present townsite in 1830 and, in 1838, he led a droving party with 300 head of cattle through the district, en route to South Australia. Cobram station was taken up in 1845 by Octavius Phillpotts.

The first Cobram Post Office opened on 1 January 1870 and was later renamed Boomerang and Cobram East. Cobram Post Office near its current location opened on 23 January 1888.

Present day

Cobram has one government high school and a primary school, an Anglican Prep-12 college, a Catholic primary school and a special developmental school. It also has a district hospital with emergency department and an associated nursing home for the elderly.

Cobram serves as the headquarters for the Shire of Moira, and forms part of the Central Ward. Three councillors are elected to represent Cobram and its surrounds, as are three for Numurkah and Nathalia and surrounds (West Ward), and three for Yarrawonga and surrounds (East Ward).

Smaller towns located nearby include Strathmerton, home of a large Kraft cheese processing plant, Yarroweyah, Katamatite, Katunga, Koonoomoo and the larger towns of Yarrawonga on the Victorian side and Tocumwal on the New South Wales side.

The Peaches & Cream Festival is held biennially around the Australia Day weekend in January.

Cobram is the birthplace of Murray Goulburn Co-operative, Australia's largest dairy co-operative, collecting 35% of Australia's milk produce through its numerous facilities throughout south eastern Australia. Murray Goulburn, along with the Meiji Dairy Corporation milk processing plant, a large abattoir and orange juice factories form the major industries of the town as well as serving as major employers.

Cobram is home to a large Muslim community, of mainly Iraqi origin which continues to grow quickly .

Public Transportation

V/Line once serviced Cobram with regular daily passenger trains as part of the Shepparton service. These train services were discontinued in 1993. Now V/Line operates multiple daily return connecting coach services between Cobram and Melbourne, as well as multiple return services to Albury and Mildura.

CountryLink, the New South Wales regional rail and coach provider, services Cobram with three times weekly Sydney and return services via Albury.

Suburbs

Murray Heights is a suburb situated near the Murray River built in the early 1990s. It is only a ten minute walk to the central business district.

Cobram East is situated to the east of the town on the Murray Valley Highway, about a ten minute drive to Cobram.

Climate

Cobram has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cool wet winters. The area has 300 days of sunshine a year. The average wettest day Cobram would have is around thirty millimetres.

Sport

Cobram is best known for being the heart of sport in the Murray Valley area. It has an Australian Rules football team in the Murray Football League called the Cobram Tigers. Cobram has two soccer teams, named Cobram Victory and the Cobram Tigers, which participate in the North Eastern Soccer League. Cobram also has a cricket team which plays in the Murray Valley Cricket Association.

Other popular sports played include basketball, table tennis, ballet, motorcross, netball, lawn tennis, badminton and lawn bowls. Cobram Bowling Club is centrally located and has three grass greens. The club has two ladies pennant teams and four Saturday pennant sides which participate in the Murray Bowls Association.

Landmarks

Major landmarks in and around the town include the 1902 Murray River bridge, settlers' log cabin, war memorial and Civic Centre. Also of note is the Cobram courthouse, built in 1912, which continues to be utilised as the Cobram Magistrates' Court.

Cobram Station, built in 1907, is a large homestead located east of the town on the Murray Valley Highway. It is currently a private residence.

Around the region are numerous river beaches, with Thompson's Beach, claimed to be the largest inland beach in Australia located just north of Mookarii Street, before crossing into New South Wales.

Notable people from Cobram

• Former Geelong Australian rules footballer Garry Hocking and Steven Hocking
• Former Geelong and Essendon Australian rules footballer John Barnes
• Big Brother Australia 2007 winner Aleisha Cowcher.
• Former Olympic diver Dean Pullar.

References

External links

• Australian Places - Cobram